Canadian Grand Prix: Qualifying Facts and Stats

CIRCUIT GILLES-VILLENEUVE, CANADA - JUNE 08: Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo Racing C38 during theCIRCUIT GILLES-VILLENEUVE, CANADA - JUNE 08: Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo Racing C38 during the Canadian GP at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 08, 2019 in Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Canada. (Photo by Zak Mauger / LAT Images)

Saturday’s Montreal qualifying session had it all: incredibly close times, a Wall of Champions-induced shunt, and some unexpected names in unexpected places at the end of it all. As always, it also produced some interesting stats and trivia. Here’s a taster…

  • Sebastian Vettel’s pole position means Ferrari now have eight in Montreal – putting them level with rivals Williams and Ferrari

  • With Lewis Hamilton starting second, it marks the first time this season that two different teams will begin a race from the front row

  • Hamilton’s 10th front-row start in Montreal is a joint record for a single circuit – he ties Michael Schumacher who achieved the same number at Suzuka in Japan

  • Daniel Ricciardo’s fourth place for Renault is the team’s best qualifying performance since Robert Kubica started third on the grid for the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix

  • With the two Renaults and the two McLarens inside the top 10, all four Renault-powered cars reached Q3 for the first time in 2019

CIRCUIT GILLES-VILLENEUVE, CANADA - JUNE 07: Daniel Ricciardo, Renault R.S.19 during the Canadian
  • It may have owed at least something to his team mate’s misfortune, but Pierre Gasly out-qualified Max Verstappen for the first time and was the only Honda-powered driver in Q3

  • Verstappen’s Q2 exit was his first since last year’s United States Grand Prix in Austin – where he went on to finish the race in second place

  • Despite crashing out in spectacular fashion at the end of Q2, Kevin Magnussen reached Q3 in Canada for the first time in his career

  • Kimi Raikkonen’s 17th place for Alfa Romeo marked his first Q1 elimination since Austria 2015 – where the Finn then crashed out spectacularly on Lap 1 with Fernando Alonso

  • Both McLarens reached Q3 for the second time this season, but the last time the team had two cars in the top 10 in Canada was back in 2012